Unit 1 Essay Questions

Describe the conditions leading to the transition from food gathering to food cultivation.

Changes in the global climate about 10,000 years ago made increased food supplies necessary, & humans began manipulating native plants to enhance their food supply.As foragers returned yearly to the same sites, they scattered seeds from desirable plants to encourage their growth.Using fire and rudimentary tools, they cleared land for cultivation & discouraged growth of unwanted plants. Selecting seeds from the highest - yielding plants eventually led to new types of crops.

Briefly describe the differences and similarities in agriculture around the world.

Climate & soil conditions heavily influenced the development of agriculture.Emmer wheat & barley were among the 1stgrains grown in the Middle East but were unsuitable for humid or dry climates.In those areas, root crops or other grains such as sorghum & millet predominated.Agricultural Revolutions developed independently in many different places.Maize, became the most important domesticated crop in the Americas but was unknown in other parts of the world.

Briefly describe the social, political, economic, and technological factors necessary for a human society to be considered a cvilization.

There are many important ingredients in the transformation of a society into a civilization.These include: (a) cities that serve as administrative centers rather than isolated communities; (b) a political system based on territory rather than kinship; (c) a specialization of labor in areas other than food production;

Why did Neolithic peoples form permanent settled communities?

Humans formed permanent settled communities to ensure a more dependable food supply.There were numerous cultural and societal benefits to community life as well.The religious practices of food producers reflected their lifestyles and differed greatly from those of hunter-gathers.Neolithic communities helped develop and spread the large language families across the globe.

What were advantages and disadvantages of those communities?

Architecture evolved as towns grew.Objects too large and cumbersome for hunting and gathering peoples became practical and necessary for settled life, creating a demand for such items as pottery.Consequently, trade and craftwork become important.

# 5 cont'd.

Early metalworking emerged, but mostly for decorative and ceremonial uses.Still, there were drawbacks for agriculturalists and pastoralists.Their diets were not as varied or nutritious as the diets of hunter-gatherers, and farmers had to work longer and harder than foragers.

What was the importance of the Mandate of Heaven in the transition from the Shang to the Zhou period?

The Zhou defeated Shang around 1100 B.C.E. and built their empire on Shang cultural foundations. In order to legitimize and strengthen their claims to the Shang domain, Zhou kings devised a religious system where the chief god was referred to as "Heaven," the kind was the "Son of Heaven," and the king’s rule was a product of the "mandate of Heaven" - heaven’s ultimate authority to choose the king.

#7 cont'd

The Mandate of Heaven proclaimed that kings would have the backing of the gods, but only as long as they were wise and principled guardians of the people. Incompetent or otherwise unfit rulers -as the Shang had supposedly been-- would have the Mandate withdrawn and be replaced.

#7 cont'd

Compared with that of the Shang, Zhou religion was more accessible to those outside the ruling elite. The result was a separation of religion from politics, which allowed the development of important largely secular philosophies during the Zhou period. The most prominent of those philosophies was based on the ideas of Confucius.

# 4 cont'd

(d) the division of the society into classes, which accompanies the accumulation of wealth and prestige; (e) monumental building; (f) a recordkeeping system; (g) long-distance trade, as opposed to local trade; and (h) major advances in the sciences and arts.

#4 cont'd

The term civilization is an ambiguous concept and must be discussed carefully because of the tendency through time to equate civilization with our own way of life.People tend to define themselves as “civilized” and anyone else as “uncivilized” or “barbaric.”